Issue 32 - Dec 2012 Jan 2013

Its summer at last and there’s deer popping up everywhere.

The spring was long ,windy and cold this year with new growth very slow to appear. Summer means long days and short nights with little sleep for the hunter, but a great time of year to get up really high and see a lot of new country!

We’ve gone all out with an extra 20% in this issue so you’ll have plenty of reading for over the Christmas period! We have Paul and Dave back again after wagging the last one. Paul had just started a new job with more responsibility so we’ll let him off. We have part 3 of Dave’s comprehensive series about accurate field shooting. This issue we also have to say goodbye to one of our old friends, Mike Spray. Mike’s accepted a job with the NSW Game Council and is making the big move to the West Island. We’ve really enjoyed Mike’s insight on all sorts of things relating to mountain and firearms safety, as well as his hunting yarns. Mike assures us he’s only gone for a few years, so we will see him back at some stage. We’ll still have the odd yarn from Mike now and then, so he hasn’t been completely excommunicated!

This issue we have:

We lead in with Richard from Canada and his big NZ alpine double.

14 points with the 7mm Fatmax

Rusa the brown ghosts Part 2

The heart of the matter and the “Camera 8 pointer” by the Back Ridge Butcher

NZ Hunter goes to the Austrian Alps to hunt chamois in their homeland and visit Swarovski Optik

The way it was - we follow Don’s footsteps on an epic roar trip up the Copeland and Karangarua

Goats and trout with the kids - family holiday trips, you’ve got to love them!

One weekend in the Ruahines

Deer dogs Johnnie’s way – part 1

Arthur’s Pass for deer and chamois

Hunter in a hurry

Dan updates us on what the Sika got up to in December/January

Roy’s Wapiti – “I have a dream”

Don’t be blind to the marked bird

Paul talks THE goose decoy!

DoC at it again - bull tahr cull

Richard’s Roast Goose Wellington

Testfires:

We evaluate...

The Burris Eliminator III Laser scope

Swarovski’s ATX modular spotters

Remington’s new Mountain SS rifle in 308

U Way’s U150 trail cam

HanWag’s superb Alaska boots

The latest from Sitka clothing

Coast LED torches

Victorinox Hunter knives

The reader’s photo web page is very popular and going well, and we’ll be deciding the first winner about the time you read this. So keep getting your best pics up there and next issue it could be you!

Thanks also to all those who answered our issue 31 article survey. This information will help us make decisions for the future direction of the magazine. We have more to come, so keep coming back to see what’s new!